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Civil society organizations have requested Malaysian billionaire magnate Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary to revoke the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem as executive chairman of MMC Port Holdings, due to his alleged links with the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Reuters previously reported that the Emirati Bin Sulayem would take control of Malaysia's largest port operator, five months after resigning from the Dubai-based firm DP World following scrutiny over his email exchanges with financier Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019.
MMC Port, which operates seven ports along the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, is a subsidiary of MMC Corporation, where Syed Mokhtar holds the majority stake.
Neither Syed Mokhtar nor the company has issued public comments on the Reuters report. Meanwhile, a joint statement from 31 organizations, dated July 20, urged Syed Mokhtar to rescind Bin Sulayem's appointment.
The document cited geopolitical and financial risks, noting that significant financial entities, such as the UK's development finance agency and Canada's second-largest pension fund, had suspended new investments with DP World due to Bin Sulayem's alleged ties to Epstein.
"It is fair to say that Mr. Bin Sulayem has gained notorious infamy following the disclosure of the Epstein files. If he was not considered indispensable to DP World, there is hardly any reason for him to be considered indispensable to MMC Ports," the document stated.
Bin Sulayem's appointment at MMC Port sparked outrage on social media, where numerous users questioned his suitability for the position.
For his part, Malaysia's Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke Siew Fook, stated in response to the controversy that the government cannot interfere in the management of private companies, noting that it is only empowered to regulate the shareholding structures of companies operating concessions and strategic national assets.
Source: Portal Portuario
